Burning Autumn Moon
by Misoco
Summary: Shiori falls into a new world full of mystery, violence, and demons. Seeking answers after her mother's death, she finds herself with more questions than she starts with. Who is she, what are these strange new powers...and most importantly, who is this Sesshomaru she cannot seem to elude? Sesshomaru/OC. A story about an emerging demoness torn between two sides of a new world.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.  
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**Author's Notes: Hey there! Thank you so much for choosing to read my story. I haven't written fanfiction in a long while, but I felt the sudden urge for a side project and I had to indulge. I really hope you enjoy this concept I came up with. Please review and let me know your thoughts, feelings, ect.! This won't be a short story, so it may take a bit to ramp up to the good stuff. Please stick with me, and enjoy! **

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**Chapter 1 / Fall Breeze and the Kimono**

A cool breeze blew through Toyama, in a way telling of things to come. Shiori stood outside her meager one bedroom apartment she shared with her mother, shivering as the breeze tickled her skin. It was nearing the start of autumn, decidedly her favorite time of year and she was ready to start looking for new work to help support her mother.

"Shiori," her mother beckoned her inside, "come inside before you catch a cold. I'd hate for you to miss tomorrow's festival because you weren't feeling well."

Shiori closed her amber eyes and breathed in the cold air for a moment longer. It's not that she didn't like the comfort of her home. While small, her apartment radiated comfort and love, mostly thanks to the presence of her dear mother, Kikuko. But the breeze was intoxicating tonight.

She wasn't sure why she was so drawn to it; By all logic it was the same cool breeze she'd felt all her 23 years prior. And yet…

"Shiori." Her mother's tone hardened. The girl knew that if she hesitated any longer, she would receive a cold look from her mother, something she avoided at all costs. Her mother, almost always kind and patient, did have another side to her. A little more ferocious than that of other mothers Shiori had met, the young woman tried to avoid bringing that side out of her mother whenever she could.

"Sorry, okasan." She stepped inside and flashed a quick smile. Her mother's tense demeanor relaxed as she patted the spot next to her, indicating her daughter to take a seat.

"You know it's time for your tonic." Her mother pulled out a familiar looking vial and placed it on the low table in front of them. Shiori nodded. The tonic her mother mentioned was the same she had taken everyday since she could remember.

From her understanding, it was to help with an auto-immune disease Shiori had been fighting since birth, though the girl herself had never been to a doctor more than a handful of times about that diagnosis. Still, she never questioned her mother too intensely about the issue, as it had never seemingly been much of an issue to start with.

Other than the vial of tonic she took every night, she had always been like any other child growing up. And now, in her early adulthood, she wasn't about to start changing what had been working for so many year prior. Her mother would venture into Tokyo, or Kyoto - either way, somewhere far away enough to come back a day later with a month's supply of the medicine. She never took Shiori with her, always insisting the trip too long and boring to bother her daughter with such trivial matters. Anyway, Shiori normally had work so it was a moot point either way.

"Do you know if the adventure center is still hiring?" Shiori asked, grabbing the vial with her long slender fingers. She took the medicine down in a single swig - the sign of a true expert. Her mother smiled faintly.

"Yes, I believe so, though I don't know why you don't work at the shrine instead. They've been asking for you since last year. Haneda-sama was very impressed with your work ethic. I'd love to see you learn more from him."

Shiori sighed. "You know why I don't want to do that. It's so stuffy there, and I'm so much more active at the adventure center! Working with the kids is such a great reward too…and you saw how much skill I lost not working on my Kendo with the kids while I was at the shrine last year. It just seems like a waste. The adventure center just makes more sense."

"Well, it's my fault for introducing you to such an active sport at such a young age. Apparently I raised my daughter to be a manic who can't stop moving." Her mother laughed, and then sighed deeply. "I can't force you, you're an adult now and I want to respect your decision, but I really do feel that you could learn so much more working with Haneda. Still, its up to you."

"I'm going to bed," Shiori said all of a sudden. She knew this conversion would continue in circles if she didn't exit it quickly. Her mother was always pushing her to settle into something less active. The idea baffled Shiori, since her mother was the one to introduce her to such active hobbies as a child.

Not that she blamed her mother, she was a handful as a kid. Looking back now, Shiori could hardly sit still for more than 5 minutes before climbing all over something. It was probably best for her mother's sanity to keep Shiori as active as possible to help handle the wild child.

The young woman sat up and smiled at her mother, and then excused herself to her room. Her mother always insisted that while they only had a single bedroom, Shiori took it. "A woman needs her privacy," her mother would always say and end any conversation about moving Shiori out of her room.

She sat in front of her mirror, using a make-up cleansing sheet to clean her face. The girl never wore too much make-up to begin with, but she always tried to keep her skin as lovely as her mother's. She stared at herself in the mirror. Pulling at her auburn hair. It was long and soft, though a little boring for Shiori's taste. Kikuko always insisted she keep her hair long, explaining that it reminded her of her younger self.

The girl liked that idea, looking like her mother. Kikuko was more lovely than any other person Shiori had ever come across. Of course, that was easy to say being that she had never been outside of her small town other than on a school trip once. But there was no denying how lovely her mother was.

And Shiori took pride looking like her mother, the same auburn hair (although her mother's was much shorter to help keep it simple to maintain), the same slender build. The main difference between the pair was Shiori's height, as she was closer to 5'7", whereas her mother only hit about 5'1". The girl always assumed she must have gotten her height and her amber eyes from her father.

She sighed and rolled out her futon. Her father…now that was a whole other beast to tackle. As open as her mother was about most things to the girl, Kikuko was extremely withheld about Shiori's father. All that she knew was that they were married, and had been since her mother was old enough to wed. She was told she had no other siblings, and that her father was a handsome man. She had also caught a couple stories over the years about his explosive temper, which always left Shiori with a bad taste in her mouth about him.

Had he been bad to her mother? What if the reason they left was because he emotionally abused her, or worse? Of course, Shiori didn't even know if he was alive or dead, much less about his treatment of her mother.

Though that said, Kikuko always had a nostalgic look come over her whenever she spoke of Shiori's father. Putting that together with the few stories she had of her father, Shiori assumed that maybe her father wasn't all bad. Still, if she had more information, she would love to have a clearer idea of her father in her head. No such luck, unfortunately. All she had was conflicting information, and little of it.

The redhead laid her head down and closed her eyes. Her mind was swirling with thoughts of her father. She attempted to force herself to stop thinking about it, which only made it worse for her. As she drifted to sleep, she tried picturing his face. She thought of him as ruggedly handsome, to compliment her mother's delicate features. Tall, with the same beast-like amber eyes…

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Shiori woke up with a start. She looked outside her window, it was still morning, but how late, she couldn't say. She glanced down at her phone, 10:15 am. Wow! She had slept in. Unusual that her mother didn't wake her.

She got dressed and stepped into the common room, her mother no where to be seen. Her futon was already put away, so she clearly had awoken before Shiori. Still, it was odd that she didn't even make breakfast like a normal weekend…

Just then, the apartment door opened, her mother stepping through it. Shiori let out a sigh of relief. She liked to know if her mother went out. Lately, Kikuko had less and less stamina, and would tire easily. The girl liked to know where her mother went in case she needed to fetch her from the bus stop or store if need be.

But today, her mother seemed in high spirits. She held a large package in her arms, and beamed a bright smile at her daughter.

"I can't wait to show you what I have for you!" She said, clearly thrilled. Shiori smiled back, she loved seeing her mother with so much energy! It had been so long since she'd been like this.

"Well, what is it?" Shiori asked, excited.

"You'll have to wait and see tonight! For now, do your old mother a favor and go to the shrine to help Haneda-sama with any last minute preparations for tonight's festival! I saw some of the other girls from town pitching in. It's the least we can do." Her mother said sternly.

"Preparations…" Shiori thought for a second, still a bit sleepy. "…oh, for the festival. Alright, alright." She sighed. If she could get out of working at the shrine, she knew she'd have to do volunteer work to keep her mother at bay. At least it was only an afternoon. The redhead grabbed an apple from a bowl on the kitchen counter and ran out the door. "See ya later!"

Work at the shrine was easy enough, Shiori helped sweep up as vendors set up their stalls and made last minute adjustments. The head priest Haneda was busy running around here and there and making sure everything was set. He was quite active for his old age, and always passionately involved with everyone in town. It only made sense he wanted everything perfect for the festival. It was one of the biggest attractions in town every year. It brought in many people from around Japan to celebrate the fall season, and thank the Fox God for watching over their small town and bringing them good fortune.

Their shrine to Inari was small, but beautiful. Decorated with two large fox statues at the front with bright red bibs, they represented the Deity itself. Vermilion torii gates sat just beyond the foxes, followed by the gorgeous small shrine set into the hills of the forest. What made their shrine so special were the hundreds of small fox statues littered around the shrine, in every nook and cranny of the grounds, and throughout the forest beyond. Her town was truly enamored with the Fox Deity.

Shiori stopped sweeping for a moment and took a deep breath. Just like the night before, the air smelled sweeter than usual. She held it in for a moment, and then breathed out. She felt so at peace here, in this shrine. She wouldn't admit it to her mother, but it felt so comfortable, so right being among the hundreds of statues. Her classmates growing up used to fear this shrine, and the fox statues that leered at them as they approached the shrine grounds. But Shiori never felt that way about this place. It didn't feel unsafe or intimidating, it felt like home.

As the sun started to set, Shiori headed back home to prepare for the festival.

She stepped into her home to her waiting mother, excited to present her the gift she had mentioned earlier.

"Well, here it is!" She pulled out of the box a bright red kimono, decorated with gold and auburn leaves. Gold threads were stitched expertly through the entire garment accenting the small details, catching the light from the evening sun and glittering. It was quite possibly the most beautiful kimono she had ever seen, leaving Shiori stunned.

"Okasan, there's no way we can afford this…" She mumbled, humbled by such a thoughtful gift. Her mother hushed her and practically tore Shiori's clothes off dressing her daughter in her new gift. "Look at that, it fits you perfectly. You look gorgeous Shiori." Her mother's pride clearly showing, Shiori stepped in front of her mirror and gasped. She was right, this kimono may as well have been made for her.

"It was mine, but I never had the chance to wear it. I kept it in storage all these years, but I am so glad I retrieved it for tonight. Now let's do your hair and you should go enjoy the festival. Maybe tonight you'll find a cute boy to bring home for me to meet..." Her mother smiled as Shiori rolled her eyes.

She put her hair up in a simple bun, braiding the sides of her hair to keep all of it on top of her head and smiled at her mother lovingly. "Thank you so much, I've never worn something so beautiful. I don't even think I've ever seen such intricate detail on a kimono before…" She wanted to ask her mother more about where she had gotten such an expensive item, but her mother rushed her out the door.

Kikuko waved goodbye to her daughter, sweating as she forced herself to keep up appearances. She was close to fainting, but she didn't want to stop Shiori from enjoying tonight. It was important she go, that she feel apart of this small community they called home.

As Shiori closed the door and headed towards the festival, she didn't hear her mother drop to the floor, taking ragged breaths. She didn't see her crawl towards the phone, calling a dear friend, explaining in detail what had to be done. She didn't see her mother finally fall forward onto herself, closing her eyes for the last time.

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**Thanks for reading! Did you like it? Let me know in a review! ** **I'll post the next chapter soon~**


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